Staphylococcus

Staphylococcus (from the Greek: σταφυλή, staphylē, "grape" and κόκκος, kókkos, "granule") is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria. Under the microscope, they appear round (cocci), and form in grape-like clusters.

The Staphylococcus genus includes at least 40 species. Of these, nine have two subspecies, one has three subspecies and one has four supspecies. Most are harmless and reside normally on the skin and mucous membranes of humans and other organisms. Found worldwide, they are a small component of soil microbial flora.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy is based on 16s rRNA sequences, and most of the staphylococcal species fall into 11 clusters: